Interior window coverings are primarily used to selectively block sunlight. The window coverings can also be used to help adjust heating and cooling of rooms as needed. In other words, during winter months the shades can be opened so as to let sunlight in and assist in heating the room. In summer months, the shades can be kept closed to block sunlight and assist in keeping the room temperature cool. The window coverings can also be used to adjust the amount of lighting within the room. Exterior window coverings can be used for the same purpose and also for storm protection and for aesthetic purposes. When houses or buildings are close to one another shades are used for privacy purposes.
In houses, apartments or other living accommodations with many windows, it is time consuming to manually adjust the position of each shade. Motorized controls are available for adjusting the position of the window shades, but these are usually only associated with a single window. Moreover, such motorized control still requires direct user input. Although an improvement in the art, such a system has at least two significant shortcomings. First, a series of shades cannot be controlled in unison. Secondly, no consideration is provided for the time of day as to whether the user would like for the shade to be fully open in the morning, partially closed in the afternoon, or what other scenario the user may desire. A further drawback of current systems is that there is no appreciation as to the time of year as it relates to the position of the sun which positionally varies throughout the year. Also there is no appreciation as to the geographical location of the housing or facility so as to accommodate sun position through the year. In other words, the sun position in southern Florida differs significantly from that in northeast Ohio.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a simplified portable remote control that can be easily programmed to control any number of shades. And there is a need in the art to provide controls for the automated coverings that can adjust to different times of the year and different geographic locations as determined by the end user.